‘Our park’: Sacramento considers installing Black Lives Matter sign in Oak Park

A wooden structure spelling the words “Black Lives Matter” 17 feet across may soon be installed at McClatchy Park, located in one of Sacramento’s historically Black neighborhoods.

Standing just under 6 feet tall and covered in the names of unarmed Black people killed by law enforcement, the sign is intended to honor their lives and visually represent the city’s stance on social justice, according to creator Zach Trowbridge. The city’s parks and youth enrichment commission unanimously approved the proposal Thursday night, sending its recommendation to the Sacramento City Council for final approval.

Trowbridge, a Hagginwood resident and hobby woodworker, originally built the wooden structure the week that George Floyd was killed last year. Trowbridge, who is white, said he previously wasn’t very active in anti-racism work, but that Floyd’s death touched a nerve. “I have the ability to do this, so I have the responsibility to do this,” Trowbridge said.

At the time, he had painted in 347 names. “Unfortunately, I now have to add more,” he said.

Trowbridge brought the structure to the California State Capitol Park last summer, and eventually donated the sign to the activist organization Anti Police-Terror Project. The group then placed the sign at different locations in the city during the height of protests against police brutality.

They eventually installed the sign at Curtis Park, in a predominantly white neighborhood that is also one of the city’s wealthiest. It was a kind of act of protest, said APTP co-founder Asantewaa Boykin.

“Long after we left, our Blackness was still in that space,” she said.

In July, the sign was severely damaged, Trowbridge said. “Someone had destroyed the word ‘Black’ into pieces,” he said. “The ‘Lives’ and ‘Matter’ were messed up too, but they did their best to destroy ‘Black.’”

Trowbridge took the piece back into his garage, but hoped to find a new home for the sign. After reaching out to community members, he said he heard overwhelming feedback to place the sign at McClatchy Park in Oak Park.

“Everyone was a resounding, ‘Hell ya,’” Gracie Phillips, president of the Oak Park Neighborhood Association, said of her members. “They were absolutely ecstatic to have it placed in our park. Emphasis on ‘our park.’”

City support of Black Lives Matter sign

Councilman Jay Schenirer, who represents the area and has been involved with the project since the summer, said he supports installing the sign. Similarly, Joe Flores, a parks commissioner representing the district, said he believes the sign is in line with previous efforts by city officials to make decisions with an “equity lens.”

Schenirer said he believes the City Council will approve the sign, adding he hoped it would review the proposal by the end of February.

“Sacramento overall is a progressive city. I think we’re thoroughly cognizant of the issues this represents, and I would hope that people would want to support it,” Schenirer said. “It’s a political sign, no question about it, but I do think it’s important for the neighborhood itself.

During the George Floyd protests, Sacramento artist Demetris “BAMR” Washington spray painted “Black Lives Matter” onto the grass medians of the Capitol Mall with the help of volunteers and the backing of local art collective Atrium and then-councilman Steve Hansen.

And Sacramento is no stranger to art installations and murals in public spaces that depict political or social commentary, said Mario Lara, the city’s director of youth, parks, and community enrichment department.

Boykin said that ideally, she would’ve liked to see the sign permanently installed in Curtis Park. “The folks who need to understand that black lives matter are not Black folks,” she said.

“So many of us know acutely the names of the people who were murdered,” Boykin added. “I personally don’t know if McClatchy Park is the best, but do I think it needs beautification, some attention? Absolutely.”

According to the city staff report, the wooden structure would not be permanent, and Trowbridge would be responsible for maintaining it. Trowbridge, community advocates and city officials have said, however, that they would like to eventually see a sign permanently placed there.

If council members support the sentiment but not necessarily Trowbridge’s sign or placement, city staff suggested other options such as painting the statement on the basketball court, or adding it in metal letters to the park’s gateway arch.

This story was originally published February 4, 2021 at 5:00 AM.